Romanian court orders halt to construction next to Bucharest cathedral
***** (see the addresses of the people creating *****
***** this travesty at the end of this post) *****
By Victor Gaetan
7/18/2007
Catholic News Service
BUCHAREST, Romania (CNS) - A county-level court ordered a halt to
construction of a 19-story office tower being built about 30 feet from the
Cathedral of St. Joseph in Bucharest, but a representative of the U.S. company
that is investing in the project said it had not received the order.
The mid-July court ruling affirmed the petition of the Archdiocese of
Bucharest that construction stop until the development' s legality is
established. The ruling came after a year of parishioner hunger strikes,
protest marches, appeals to the Romanian president and Vatican statements of
support for the archdiocese.
A representative from the legal department of Miller Global Properties in
Denver told Catholic News Service, "We'll comply with this court order - when
we're properly served." He refused to give his name.
A hearing is scheduled for early September to review the legality of
construction permits issued by the Bucharest City Hall.
Numerous experts and institutions, including the Romanian Senate, have
concluded that the building violates laws governing construction, public safety
and the protection of historical monuments. Last fall, the Senate directed the
prime minister to expropriate the property on which the controversial building,
called Cathedral Plaza, is being built.
The archdiocese and independent experts said the office tower threatens the
structural integrity of the cathedral, a historic building with protected
status. Considering Bucharest's location in an active earthquake zone, the risk
of the tower collapsing and crushing its neighbor is real, experts have said.
The European Parliament is currently circulating a written declaration
condemning the construction of the office tower because it threatens the
physical and cultural integrity of the cathedral. The declaration needs 393
signatures of Parliament members; organizers have more than 300 signatures.
Local developer Millennium SRL and its American investors at Miller Global
have proceeded with construction despite questions surrounding the project.
Emanuel Necula, a New-York based structural engineer employed by Millennium
SRL in 2005 to complete major aspects of the development, said the project is a
direct threat to the cathedral.
"I quit when I realized how corrupt the project managers were," he said.
"They have not done proper engineering studies, they cut corners, and they
flagrantly ignore professional requirements to protect public safety let alone
national cultural patrimony.
"The cathedral has already suffered irreversible damage," said Necula. "It
has been damaged by ground movement during construction of the neighboring
tower's infrastructure. "
Necula testified before the Romanian Senate against Cathedral Plaza and
continues to advise Bucharest Archbishop Ioan Robu and the church defense team.
======================================
Contact one of the guilty parties here:
Miller-Global Properties
4643 South Ulster Street, Suite 1500
Denver, Colorado 80237
telephone: 303.773.0369
fax: 303.694.0082
Miller-Global Properties
410 Park Avenue, 20th Floor
New York, New York 10022
telephone: 212.355.1500
fax: 212.355.6004
Miller-Global Properties
18 Upper Brook Street
London, W1Y 1PD, England
telephone: 44.207.495.4383
fax: 44.207.495.4374
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